Fabrication study of hydrophobic polyurethane sponge for oil absorption application

Abstract

© 2017 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland. In this research, the researchers study the fabrication of oil absorption, hydrophobic polyurethane (PU) sponge for application in an oil-spill cleanup model. Virgin PU is initially hydrophilic. PU is made hydrophobic by incorporating hydrophobic silica aerogel (SA) into PU 3D porous structure by stirring method and UV-treatment method. UV-irradiation promotes the attachment of SA onto the PU surface. Varying UV irradiation time and concentration of SA is done to attain an optimal attachment of SA on PU. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements (CA) are used to determine the adhesion of SA on PU. The loadings of SA with and without UV-treatment are compared. Results show that SA-PU with UV-treatment has more loading of SA than SA-PU without treatment. FT-IR spectra and SEM micrographs verify the results. Moreover, the SA-PU is tested for oil absorption to simulate oil-spill cleanup. The findings show fast (less than 3 seconds), recoverable oil-spills cleanup with simple method of preparation. In addition, SA-PU with UV treatment has higher absorption rate and absorption efficiency when compared to original PU and SA-PU without UV treatment.